Hosanna

Hosanna (/hoʊˈzænə/) is a liturgical word in Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism, it is always used in its original Hebrew form, הושענא Hoshana.

For other uses, see Hosanna (disambiguation).

Etymology

The word hosanna (Latin osanna, Greek ὡσαννά, hōsanná) is from Hebrew הושיעה־נא, הושיעה נא hôšîʿâ-nā and related to Aramaic אושענא (ʾōshaʿnā) meaning 'save, rescue, savior'.[1]

In the Hebrew Bible it is used only in verses such as "help" or "save, I pray" (Psalms 118:25).

It is applied in numerous verses of the New Testament, including "Hosanna; blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord" (Mark 11.9); "hosanna in the highest" (Mark 11.10); and "hosanna to the Son of David" (Matt 21:9). In that context, the word Hosanna seems to be a "special kind of respect" given to the one who saves, saved, will save or is saving now. If so Hosanna means 'a special honor to the one who saves'. The old interpretation "Save, now!",[2] based on Psalm 118:25, does not fully explain the occurrence of the word in the Gospels[3] as a shout of jubilation, and this has given rise to complex discussions.[4]

Liturgical use in different traditions

In a liturgical context, it refers to a cry expressing an appeal for divine help.[5]

Judaism

In Jewish liturgy, the word is applied specifically to the Hoshana Service, a cycle of prayers from which a selection is sung each morning during Sukkot, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. The complete cycle is sung on the seventh day of the festival, which is called Hoshana Rabbah (הושענא רבא, "Great Hosanna").[6]

Christianity

"Hosanna" was the shout of praise or adoration made in recognition of the Messiahship of Jesus on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem,[3] "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD!"[7] It is used in the same way in Christian praise.

The "Hosanna Anthem",[8] based on the phrase Hosanna, is a traditional Moravian Church anthem written by Bishop Christian Gregor of Herrnhut sung on Palm Sunday and the first Sunday of Advent. It is antiphonal, i.e. a call-and-response song; traditionally, it is sung between the children and adult congregation, though it is not unheard of for it to be done in other ways, such as between choir and congregation, or played between trombone choirs.

Many songs for church use bear the title "Hosanna", including songs written by New Zealand singer Brooke Fraser Ligertwood (released on the 2007 Hillsong United albums All of the Above and live on Saviour King and covered by the Canadian group Starfield on their album I Will Go); another song by Paul Baloche on his 2006 album A Greater Song; another by gospel artist Kirk Franklin, and another by Andrew Peterson on his 2008 album Resurrection Letters II. Sidney Mohede's "Hosanna (Be Lifted High)" was included on Israel Houghton's 2011 Grammy Award-winning album Love God, Love People.

In the Philippines, particularly in Tagalog-speaking provinces, the term Osanahan refers to the procession of the priest from a prayer station (termed kuból or Galilea in some provinces) after the blessing of palms; to the parish church for the liturgy of the Mass of the Sunday of the Lord's Passion. This procession is accompanied by the faithful, with little children dressed as angels singing Filipino or Latin antiphons set into lowland Filipino music, with either a rondalla or a brass band as musical accompaniment.[9]

Other examples of modern usage

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright famously used the word in his exclamation "Hosanna! A client!" after securing a commission, breaking a long, dry spell.[10]

In the 1969 Broadway musical 1776 the word is used repeatedly as part of the chorus of the song "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men."

"Hosanna" is the name of one of the songs featured in the 1971 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. The song covers the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, as in the above Biblical passages. Jesus is briefly harassed by the high priest Caiaphas but the people celebrate him as the Messiah. There is also a reprise of the chorus when Jesus is sent to King Herod.

A. R. Rahman composed the song "Hosanna" for the 2010 Tamil movie Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. Here the word is used as an exclamation of joy when a man sees his beloved. The Christian Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) objected to this song and asked film-makers Fox Star Studios to remove it from the final cut of the Hindi remake of the film, Ekk Deewana Tha.[11] Paul McCartney's album New, released in 2013, features a song titled Hosanna. Contextually, he uses the phrase as a cry for help in light of the world's current state of affairs.

American comedians Tim and Eric use the phrase "blessed Hosanna" freely in their piece "Morning Prayer with Skott and Behr."[12]

See also

References
  1. Oxford English Dictionary and Bauer lexicon
  2. See ArtScroll Siddur, p. 727.
  3. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hosanna" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 783.
  4. See the articles Thayer, J. H. (1902). "Hosanna". In James Hastings (ed.). A Dictionary of the Bible. and more especially Cheyne, T. K. "Hosanna". In Cheyne and Black (ed.). Encyclopedia Biblica.
  5. Friberg Lexicon
  6. See ArtScroll Siddur, p. 726; so also in Syrian usage.
  7. Matthew 21:9,15; Mark 11:9-10; John 12:13.
  8. The Moravian Hymn Book with Services (authorized for use in the British Province of the Moravian Church), 1960
  9. Zialcita, F., et al. Cuaresma. Bookman. Manila. 1997
  10. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Fellowship. Event occurs at 17:20. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  11. Prashant Singh (20 January 2012). "AR Rahman reacts to Hosanna controversy". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  12. Vimeo clip

Sources
  • Yohannan Aharoni & Michael Avi-Yonah, The MacMillan Bible Atlas, Revised Edition, pp. 157–165 (1968 & 1977 by Carta Ltd).
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Aherne, Cornelius (1910). "Hosanna". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • The dictionary definition of hosanna at Wiktionary
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